May 27, 2015

Besides my well known addiction to the linen stitch, my next and close running favorite is garter stitch.
It makes everything look rustic and old worldly. I don't care what it is, a sweater, a throw, scarf, a dishcloth, it doesn't matter.
The fact that it is always mindless knitting keeps it at 2nd on my list. Though summertime is almost here and I won't be doing any knitting for a few months, anything I do work on will most assuredly be garter stitch.
So I thought I would go wandering around and see if I could find some really interesting patterns, just in case you are of like mind.

April 22, 2015

The boat sweater is still languishing exactly as it was the last time we spoke about it.
A week with the flu and finally a few dry days have made me realize it's getting crunch time.
The boat has been uncovered and cleaned up and it's almost time to hit the water, so as much as I have fought the idea, it's time to finish that sweater and get it off the needles.
While I spend the next few days getting that finished, here are a few helpful videos I thought you might be interested in.
Some I have never seen before, some are my faves. Maybe there are a few in here that will help you along your knitterly path. ;0)

This is one handy little video, until I saw this I avoided cables unless it was the absolute dead of winter when I would have to be inside and had the time to fool with an extra needle or two. It was just way too fiddely for me to do cables. That is until I finally saw one of these videos.

This is a definite must see.

I don't know that I would ever use this, but I am putting it here because I have never seen this particular stitch before. Kinda nifty!

March 24, 2015

Yeah, that would be me.
I didn't knit on the sweater on that six hour road trip. I brought the new camera PB got me for my birthday so I spent the entire ride looking out of the window for anything that might be picture worthy, ncluding the rain on the windshield.
I posted some of the pictures over at the Lens End blog if you would like to see them.
I did bring the boat sweater. Had it sitting right where I could reach it. But then there was rain on the windshield, sun poking through the clouds, PB's sexy face. I just couldn't put the camera down long enough to get into anything else.
I just don't understand. I blasted through all the gift knitting and barreled through the Stonewall sweater. I just can't seem to get up the desire to finish a sweater that is already 85 percent finished. How dumb is that?
I need to find the motivation somewhere. I spent money on that yarn even though I have baskets and tubs and drawers a plenty.
I will get back into it, no matter how bad I just don't want to.
I have a knitting promise to keep and I can't until this sweater is finished.
Guess I better just bite the bullet and force myself to sit outside with coffee and just get 'er done!
I hope your knitting quests are going better than mine right now.
Knit ON!

March 20, 2015

I know most of the country is still caught under layers of snow and ice and slush but it really is officially Spring now! Whoot! Whoot!
Though at the moment, here on the Gulf Coast, it feels a little more like summer. 80 degrees today! On the first official day of Spring! I have a feeling we are in for a long hot summer.
I have been working hard at getting the yard back into shape. Since I have not raked all fall and winter long, all those oak leaves were five inches thick.
I literally had to dig down with the rake where the leaves that fell at the beginning of Fall had embedded themselves in the dirt.
In theory this would be great for the soil and as the leaves rot and wash down into the dirt with the rain it would be great fertilization. But come on, who wants a five inch thick bed of leaves on there springtime lawn? Not I!
PB decided that all the leaves from the front yard should be hauled to the back yard and dumped into the garden to be tilled up in the soil. What a great idea! When you aren't the one filling a wheel barrel up every ten minutes and pushing it around the house, to the back yard, through the gate and dumping all of it out onto the ground, fighting the chickens so you can get back out of the fence without letting them out, then back around to the front yard for another load. Yes! That is a wonderful idea!
But I did it. And the yard looks great if I do say so myself.
With all the heat that we have had, I have been dreaming of the beach. The peaceful sounds of the surf pounding into shore, the birds squawking and talking to each other. No phone service. Ahhhh, I can not wait!

So for the beach, you need the basics
A beach bag, preferably that will allow the sand to run out of the bag instead of pile up in the bottom to be drug home and dumped out into the kitchen floor.
This one fits the bill perfectly!

March 18, 2015

I thought it was time to do another LOTD post.
I was goofing around and found a magazine I have never heard of before.
Your Family Magazine (South Africa)
I really haven't had time to go all through their website, but I did find this awesome blanket.

It is a very simple yet lovely pattern and I love the yarn used in the picture.
I have really been getting into the more natural colored yarns lately. All different shades of natural earthy colors. Which means my stash is not exactly where I want it to be right now.
It is full of bright blues and oranges and yellows and purples. I could go on and on. But nothing earthy.
I think watching Outlander has done this to me. I'm not sure. I am going to have to investigate that further. How? By watching some more episodes of course!

Anyway, back on task.
You really should check out their website. They have a ton of tutorials ranging from Custard Class to How to Slice and Dice an Onion.
All found here

March 12, 2015

I am assuming (yes, I know what that stands for) that you are getting so tired of hearing about the Boat Sweater, and I know I haven't put the umph into it that I did the Stonewall.
After restarting certain parts of this sweater so many times, I really, really do not like this pattern. Well, not the pattern as far as it is turning into what I wanted it to be, but the actual written pattern.

I am not blaming the author, it could be completely my fault as I have found only a few complaints that mirror mine. Having said that, through no fault of the author, I will never purchase another one of her patterns. I apparently can not understand the way she writes.

1. I had to restart the short row shaping twice because it wouldn't match up with the joining round. Finally made it work by moving the BOM over. Which I now hope will not mess up the short row shaping that was supposed to make the back hang a little longer than the front (which I loved about the pattern)
2. I could not get the written part of the diamond pattern across the chest to match up. I ripped that out three times before I went to Ravelry and found someone who had the same problem so used the chart instead. I did that and it finally worked out.
3. I got halfway through the first sleeve before I realized that following the pattern would give me a sleeve that would fit Shaq. (yes I am getting gauge) so ripped that out and did a 6 round decrease instead of 8 and that seemed to bring it all together.

You know how I am about paying for a pattern. I will scour the internet for a free pattern, but if I end up finding something I really like enough to pay for a pattern????? Well it shouldn't need this much fiddling on my part for it to work out.
And not to belittle the writer at all, but don't go on my Ravelry project page and comment so sweetly about what problems I was having and then never reply in PM when I tell you.
That gave me the feeling that she was being totally fake and just wanted it to look like she gave a hollering hoot about my issues with her pattern.

To sum it up, I will finish this sweater, or become dangerously close by the end of this weekend. We have a trip coming up which will allow me 5 uninterrupted hours of knitting time. (I love daylight savings time!) That should get me pretty close to finished barring any other major rip outs.

Would I make another one? Probably, now that I have added all of my notes. But if I was just starting out, and didn't know anything about knitting a sweater, NO! I would not.
If I was recommending a sweater to a beginner knitter who had never attempted a sweater in the round? Hell no! I would not.

Whether it was my fault or the fault of the author's I would not suggest this to anyone who didn't have a complete and utter understanding of sweater knitting and construction.
Sorry!

March 11, 2015

I don't like bandwagons. I really don't................(you know it's coming).............BUT.......................
I just started watching the Starz hit Outlander and though in the first fifteen minutes I almost turned it off, not understanding the fascination.
Luckily I hung in there!
Once Claire fell down the rabbit hole the tempo of the show completely changed, and I was immediately hooked!

Of course, being a knitter, my eyes were immediately drawn to the cowls and mitts and hats OH MY!

I have never cared for chunky knits. They just always looked so bulky, and since I am a small person, I never attempted to knit anything chunky sized it would only make me look a 2 year old playing dress up in Momma's closet.

But Claire is not a big woman and all that stuff looks wicked cute on her. I am completely in love with the chunky mitts. Everyone who wears them makes them look good. I think I am going to make myself a pair.
I know, I know, as soon as I get the sleeves on the sweater. Which will be perfect timing for our spring weather coming in now. Maybe that's what I have been waiting for. The spring almost too warm almost too cool, weather. After being out on the beach all day in the heat, when it cools down at night, I will be wishing I had that sweater in my bag.
Yeah! That's it! I am finishing the sweater by this weekend! We have beach weather coming!!!

A couple of things I have learned today.1. This wagon has been rolling waaaaayyyy longer than I thought2. There are so many mitts and sleeves used in that show that it would take months of work to either hunt up all the patterns or come up with some of my own.

These are my favorite simple ones so far. But, then again, I'm still looking.

March 2, 2015

I remember when I first got my hands on this magazine. There were so many patterns I wanted to try. Then I got my hands on another magazine, or a book or a pdf pattern and this has sat on the bookshelf ever since.
You're welcome to it.
I posted a few pics of some of the cute patterns in here. This is by no means all of them.

You know the routine, comment below. Drawing to be held Friday night with the winner posted over at the Knittinfun Facebook Page

February 26, 2015

So I got on a kick and started bombing the Knittinfun Facebook Page and decided it was time for another LOTD post. There's just too many cute and nifty little things that I want to knit!
Oh! Don't worry! I am not starting anything new until I finish that sleeve and a half and collar on the boat sweater. (really! That's all I have left to do and won't do it!)

Maybe one of these patterns will motivate me enough to finish it so I can start a new project.

That should give you something to ooh and aahhh about for today.
Maybe I will pull the boat sweater out after work and see if I can knock it on out. Besides, it's getting right on the edge of time to take the boat out. I need this sweater!

I was cleaning out one of the book shelves the other day and noticed I have WAY to many magazines and books that I don't use.
I was subbed to three magazines at one time for quite a while and though I enjoyed them all, there were very few items in them that fit my knitting criteria.
I think it's time to start getting rid of most of them. Let someone else enjoy them.
Most of them will have to be dusted off just to ship.
I will keep a few but the rest need to go.
I have quite a few books too.
When I get home today I will start digging them out.
I think, because I have so many, it will be a twice a week thing. Maybe every other week.
The only requirement will be that if you want it, you are going to have to comment under the post it is in, that's where the names will be drawn from. And then the winner posted at the Knittinfun Facebook Page so you might want to get over there and sign up.
I will pay media mail shipping so if you want it faster than a week you will have to let me know and we can discuss it.
Hopefully you can find something you would enjoy having, because what doesn't go is all going up on EBay and from there? The trash. I'm just tired of cleaning around them.
First post goes up later today so don't forget to check back soon.

February 8, 2015

Or at the most I'm talking about some awesome handknit garments I may have seen.

Scarves? Hats? Warm,cozy gloves?

No.

Actually, I had a corn dog.

Wait! What?!?

I was hungry so when we passed one of the many concession stands I stopped for something that would be easy to carry and eat at a crowded parade. A corn dog, perfect! I'll take two.

As we ate them I noticed how nice and thick the sticks were. Not those flimsy things you get with store bought corn dogs you bring home and hand out to all those grand brats. A nice thick stick and looky here!!!

They have points!

As you can imagine I received "the stank eye" when I told PB not to throw his away. They would make great knitting needles.

I don't have one of those needle gauge thingys but I am pretty sure they would be around a size 9. So I figure with a little sanding and sharpening they would end up around an eight.

When I get them ready, I figure a nice swatch (yeah I said it) would help me figure out the size.

February 6, 2015

I am going to be honest, I love this sweater, I really do. But (you knew it was coming) the pattern is a tad difficult to follow in the beginning.

Just to get to this point, I started over three times.

I blamed myself the first two times, misreading a line, not paying close enough attention to what I was doing. By the time I got to the third try, ok, maybe it isn't me.

I eventually had to move my BOR marker to make it coincide with the pattern. That seemed to straighten out my problem. Though now I wonder if that was the best idea. Is this going to throw off my short rows I did across the back for added length? They were written into the pattern, maybe since I had to move my beginning marker, somewhere in the pattern this compensation is correct for the shaping in the back.

I decided to just keep going and see what comes out in the end.

I am not a great knitter. I don't get into the technicalities of knitting. Especially if I have a pattern to follow. I just blindly follow and if I like it enough to make another one, then I start thinking about what I will change. A different cuff, more length, that kind of thing. But the first go round, strictly line for line.

As you can see from the picture below, my beginning stages are quite sloppy looking.

No fancy markers or cutesie pics with the cat. Just a big old round mess that surprises me every time it turns into exactly what I wanted.

Here is the beginning of my next problem with the pattern.
The King Charles Brocade, which is the whole reason I purchased the pattern. The way the designer incorporated it into the sweater, IMHO, is what make this an awesome, comfy looking sweater.
I am not going to lie, I hate charts so it was with great pleasure that I realized the author had also written out the instructions for this part.
I pulled out my trusty little green notebook and pen and started on what I think is the best part of this pattern.

This is just a few rounds in, it looks great! The pattern is snapping together perfectly. I am getting super excited about it at this point.

Then we get to around center part of the brocade pattern.
I was buzzing right along, completely amazed with myself being able to keep the pattern straight, tick the rows off in my book and watch t.v. the whole time. I was on a role, and the small snag at the beginning of the pattern was turning into just that. A snag that can be revised with a quick go round after this sweater is through.
Then I get to row 14 or 15, I can't remember exactly which.
It was late, I had been knitting for over four hours. Hmm.... I missed something somewhere. It's not matching up anymore. My knit stitches were going into knit stitches and purls into purls. That doesn't feel right.
Damn! I have got to stop watching t.v. when I am following a pattern.
So I rip out the whole row, (the front side matched up, making it doubly frustrating because I was half way through the round before I realized I had screwed something up), and started over.
Ignoring the television and concentrating on every stitch.
On the second go round, in the middle of the back section, there it was again, my stitches were lining up again. Dang it! I must have added another stitch somewhere.
I was so frustrated with myself at that point, I put all my knitting things away and went to bed.

The next day I picked it up, ripped out two rounds back because I apparently had added an extra stitch somewhere. So I decided to rip back to my last known good row.
The first round went on perfectly and I was paying extreme attention to every stitch and pattern detail I was following.
The second round and the same thing happens again.
Ok, maybe it isn't me. Maybe there is a problem with the pattern, at least the written version.
I did end up going to the projects page on Ravelry and found out that quite a few people had commented on the difficulty of reading this pattern.
Someone said that they had ripped back and followed the chart instead of the written directions and it all worked out.
So that's what I did.
Finally!!! Success!
I had decided that when I was finished knitting this I would go back and write out the chart directions myself so I could compare it to the author's and, if I could find the problem, just drop the author a little note.

Once I got past that big snafu, the pattern becomes very easy to follow and written just the way I like it. Simple and straight forward.

As you can see from the picture I am well on my way past the charted part of the pattern.
8" of the 14" of stst.

The author saw my Ravelry posts and asked me what had happened. Which I thought was very sweet.
I am still going to go back over the chart and write it out, I am curious to see if, maybe it was just me, and I kept screwing up until I sat down and read the chart.
With me, it could happen that way!
And if you are wondering, YES! I so think this sweater is going to be worth it!

January 30, 2015

I can wear sweaters in the dead heat of summer. I always need one when we are on the beach in Panama City every summer. I play in the sun all day and by nightfall I am usually pretty cold. Sunburns will do that to me every time. Then there is nightfall on the water. Out on the boat. There is always a cool breeze on the water and when I have been out in it all day, I get a chill when the sun goes down, yes, even in August.

My husband thinks I am nuts, but I never leave the house without a sweater, no matter what time of year it is.

And this sweater just has Boat and Beach Sweater written all over it.

Tho
that is not the name of the pattern, I look at it and I think about cool
spring nights and weekends on the boat fishing and hanging with
friends.

Isn't that what you see?

I decided this would be perfect for all that extra Pure Wash Merino I ended up with from the Stonewall sweater. It is the softest yarn once it is washed and if I'm going to end up with a sunburn, soft is always a good thing.

I really love this sweater and couldn't wait to cast on and get started yesterday. There's just one small problem.

Reading this pattern is the very definition of muddling through.

I always try and go through a pattern one good time before I cast on. Just so I know what is coming up before I get there. Even that didn't help.

You really have to have a clear understanding of top down knitting and sweater construction or don't even bother starting this project. There is nothing about this pattern that allows for a new knitter.

Maybe that was the authors plan, I don't know.

I have read lots and lots of patterns that have way to much (in my opinion) technical information. Turning a 3 page pattern into a novella.

That is not the problem with this one.

I think the pattern is well written, it just jumps all over the place.

So if you have never made a top down sweater. Don't make this one your first. By all means, after you knit a sweater or two and have a feel for the process, make this sweater. It's bound to become your favorite.

I am not saying this pattern is not doable, it is. And I think once I am finished it will quickly become one of my favorites to wear.

Maybe not to re-knit, but to wear.

On the good side, she has the King Charles Brocade written out as well as charted, which saved me some time, because I would have had to write it out myself.

Once I muddled through the beginnings of the pattern, it started flying around the needles.

It really is going to be a nice sweater!

Dealing with all this wool has really dried my skin out. Especially on the finger that the yarn runs across. My skin actually cracked and started bleeding last week.

This has now become a huge part of my nighttime regimen. We won't even talk about what age is doing to my skin. It's the wool!

January 26, 2015

I am finally finished with the Stonewall sweater. I absolutely love how this sweater turned out. Tho I did have a few "OMG" moments when I was putting the sweater back together again.And then there were the dropped side stitches that ran back for about fifteen rows that had to be picked back up again. All in all, I LOVE IT!These are the first pics. They aren't the best, and when Brat #1 gets off of work today, I will have her get some better pics.This was an easy to follow pattern. If you are looking for a great looking sweater, with easy instructions, I highly recommend that you make one of these!

January 21, 2015

We have all heard of, and had, second sock syndrome. But now I have been afflicted by another kind of syndrome. Second Sleeve Syndrome.Didn't know that was a thing did ya?Apparently it is.

As you can see in the picture 34 sts, even on the shortest needles, has to be stretched around the needles for a few rounds.

By the time I had finished the first sleeve, my finger was so sore from forcing the stitches around that I had to take a day off to let it stop throbbing.

I know I could have used dpns but where would be the fun in that?

The first sleeve was actually done on 16" needles so it took allot more effort to get the first 24 rows of stst on.

I finally found these 12" needles and it has made a huge difference in the first few rows. I'm still struggling, but not half as bad.

By the time I was up to the second increase row, 24 rows in, the stitches finally started moving smoothly around the needles.

Once I did get past the struggle part, I am happy about knitting this again.

Yesterday, when I had to force myself to pick up the needles to start the second sleeve, I was seriously afraid that I had developed a bad case of sss and this sweater was going to end up in the WIP pile for a while.

January 16, 2015

With it all wet and rainy and cold yesterday I decided that would be a good time to sit down and get some serious knitting done on the Stonewall sweater.

I fired up Hulu, found the first season of American Horror Story, put it on auto play and plopped in front of the t.v for the rest of the day, and night. And as you can see, I did get quite a bit of knitting finished.

The first picture shows the detail in the pattern and the second is is the actual color of the yarn.

I think once it is finished and blocked, the purl pattern will pop out a little better. Right now it is just a pile of bumps all willy nilly looking throughout the sweater.

I am a totally intense knitter. When I am watching t.v. while I knit, the more intense the scene, the faster I can knit. And let me tell you, anytime you see Dylan McDermott's naked body running all over the screen, it's intense!

The obligatory "process" shots below were not all done in one night. Though I am moving right along. This is two nights of work. I am really excited about wearing this. And the pattern is really straight forward and easy to follow. I know allot of you like all the techie info that turns two pages of a pattern into, like 20, I do not. Give me straightforward with a few tips here and there and I am one happy camper.

I did actually force myself to put this down last night about midnight. I had to order the shorter needles for the sleeves and they will not be here until Wednesday. I don't know what I am going to do with myself until then, I think when I get home today I will tear apart every closet to see if I can find some shorter needles I may have stashed away somewhere. If I can't...........I guess it's back to linen stitch cloths until next week.